Canned Diced Tomatoes

1. Wash tomatoes thoroughly. Cut out the stem and any defects or blemishes. Some people also peel the tomatoes, but we never do.

2. Slice tomatoes into about ½ inch thick slices, then dice them into whatever size you want.

3. Sterilize canning jars. Place jars in water, covering the jar with at least an inch of water. After coming to a boil, set timer for 5 minutes. (Some skip this step, only washing jars with soap and water, but we’re old school)

4.  Place diced tomatoes into a sterilized canning jar. Shake jar to settle tomatoes and squeeze them down so that you can fill it completely. Tomatoes should be packed tightly in order to produce enough juice. Leave about 1/2” of head space.

5. Add salt and lemon juice. Wipe rim of each jar with a damp cloth to remove any residue.

6. Prepare the canning lids. Wash canning jar lids with soap & water. Dip them into your canning pot water for a few seconds. (They say modern lids don’t need sterilized, but it scares me not to, and I think they seal better. So we split the difference, washing and putting in the boiling water for a short time). Place lids on jars & screw on rings, taking care not to tighten too tightly.

7. Place canning jar(s) in canner. Make sure jars are covered with at least 1 inch of water. Cover canner with a lid, with burner on medium high heat. Once water starts boiling, reduce heat slightly and process for 45 minutes, making sure the water is boiling gently and steadily the whole time. 

8. After boiling for 45 minutes, turn the burner off. Remove jars using jar lift, big set of channel locks or the like. Be careful, they’re very hot! Place them on a drying rack or hot plates/pads. Allow a bit of air space around each jar, making sure they don’t touch. Do not move jars until they are completely cool. Jars should seal as they cool and you will typically hear a snap or pinging sound as the vacuum seal is formed. Lids will be slightly concave when sealed. To test the seal, once jar has totally cooled, lightly tap the center of the cooled jar lid. If it is firm and does not move, it should be sealed. If it pushes in, it didn’t seal properly. You can still use unsealed jars, just put them in the refrigerator and use them as soon as possible. Jars should be wiped clean before storing them.